["Beany and the Beckoning Road"] begins with Beany having a sad tiff with her beau Norbett. It sends her from Denver to San Diego to cure her troubled heart. On this wild jaunt by auto Beany and her absent-minded older brother take turns at the wheel. Their adventures are told with the mixture of humor, sentiment, and realism that have given the Malone books their wide appeal to junior-high-age girls. The horse in the trailer, the mysterious old lady, the trunk full of gold, all are utterly preposterous, yet cleverly related to Beany's love affair. That the lovable three-year-old could live through such a trip is the most miraculous touch of all. Those who already like the sensible, warm-hearted, direct Beany will have to read it. To listmakers who worry about such matters, it may be said that few teen-agers would wish to follow Beany on such a...